A view of the public toiIets at Thideer Nagar Bricklin road in Chennai on July 29, 2024
| Photo Credit: M. Srinath
In 2018, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) declared the city “open defecation free.” However, the reality is far from the claim. Nearly 900 families living in Thideer Nagar, Bricklin road in Otteri lack basic amenities, including access to public toilets.
Two public toilets built by the government a few years ago have been defunct most of the time throughout the year. Due to that, the residents are forced to use the open space nearby belonging to the Otteri burial ground to relieve themselves.
One of the significant challenges faced by residents of Thideer Nagar is lack of public toilets. “Most of us are forced to wake up before dawn to use the open space for defecation. Pregnant women and elderly persons are struggling as they have to use these open spaces even in late hours due to the absence of proper toilets”, said a woman resident.
“I have never used a proper toilet since I was born”, said Aysha (name changed), 13, a schoolgirl. “There are once only two toilets for all the people who are living here, most of the time they are clogged. People using these toilets are also not maintaining them tidily. My biggest wish is to use a clean toilet one day,” she added.
Another major issue is that there is no sewer network to drain the wastes. George, a resident of 50 years said, “Because of the poor sewage system, we always have to live with foul smell and mosquitoes”. He also mentioned that whenever heavy rain lashes the city, their houses would get flooded easily due to the clogged drains. “On account of poor sanitation, most of the children and elderly people get sick often,” claimed Kala, a resident for 50 years.
Govt. response
According to Parithielamsurithi, the councillor of ward 99, the State government has sanctioned ₹50 lakh for the construction of two toilets. The construction work will begin within two weeks. However, once the toilets are ready for use, it is the responsibility of the residents to maintain them, he added.
Residents of Thideer Nagar are requesting the State government to build houses for them with proper sanitation facilities through the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB). In response to this, the counsillor said, “Since most of the land belongs to the GCC under burial ground classification, last year we decided at the council to change it from burial ground to residential classification. We are waiting for a government order to give effect to this change.”
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